Animal Intuition
by Lady Kathryne
Summary: Bella works as a reptile handler in a rescue center in Seattle. When their sister site in Forks is in need of help, she is sent. Her childhood friend is now her neighbor and age old feelings return. What's more is that her current boyfriend knows he doesn't hold her heart anymore.


**Disclaimer**:

All characters and known situations belong to their respective owners. Everything else came from my own mind. In no way shape or form have I made or intended to make a profit from this story…. All rights still belong to Stephenie Meyer…

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Bella rocked back and forth, rubbing the scaled head of the lethargic bearded dragon cradled to her chest as she hummed a quiet lullaby. She put the now empty feeding syringe down on the table beside her and smiled when the lizard seemed to soak up the warmth and comfort she offered. She cooed to it, distracting the animal from the new syringe she pulled from the pocket of her scrub top, and continued to coo in a hushed tone as she pushed the antibiotic within the needle through the skin.

"There… hush now. It's not so bad. It'll be all over with soon." She grimaced when the lizards mouth opened in a silent scream of what she could only imagine to be pain at the sting of the needle.

'Grizzly' was placed back in his cage with a soft kiss to his head and a pet down his back.

Bella smiled and watched through the cage glass before making a few notes in the chart hanging to the side of said cage. She was 28 years old, had graduated college at the top of her class and had become head reptile vet and handler at Seattle's Exotic Pet Rescue and Rehabilitation building. They worked closely with the Seattle Zoo and a few more private businesses to take care of injured or neglected animals. It wasn't glamorous, but she loved it. She now worked out of their sister site, Forks Exotic Pet Rescue and Rehabilitation. The move had come with a pay raise and a house of her own.

She couldn't complain.

A chuckle to her left brought her from her thoughts and caused her to turn around to see her coworker and good friend Kyle Kolbe shaking his head. "Yes?"

"You must have a gift for the cold blooded." He mused.

Bella grinned. "I've loved reptiles since I was a kid. My mom hated it, my dad loved it, and my best friend used to tease me about it every chance he got."

"All those reptiles, but you hate spiders." He teased.

Bella glared, the smile instantly turned to a deep frown on her face. "I draw the line for creepy at spiders!" She huffed. "They're freaking creepy… and disgusting, and ugly… and hairy! And Kyle, so help me… you put that THING down now. Put it down or I'll throw it in the cage with Atlas!" She said pointing to the cage where a small ball python lay curled around a heating rock.

"Aww! Come on Bella… that's mean!" Kyle grinned while holding out the Rose Haired tarantula for her to see.

"If you come NEAR me with that thing I'll sick Ziggy on you." She warned.

Kyle noticed with some amusement that the nearly three foot long python in question had already begun to stir in its cage. The stupid snake had a soft spot for Bella, and loved nothing more than diving head first into her scrub tops to sit wrapped around her waist. He shook his head and placed the giant tarantula back into her cage, saving her from becoming snake chow.

"You, my dear woman, are hilarious sometimes. Invertebrates? No problem. Rodents? No issue at all. Small breed exotic pets that have been abused, abandoned or neglected? No worries. Exotic wildlife? No fear. Reptiles? Not even the blink of an eye." Kyle paused for a moment when his snickers turned into a full out belly laugh. He doubled over at the sight of Bella's narrowed eyes.

"Spiders? Spiders…" He snickered again. "Spiders have you climbing the walls to get away if you can't find anything within range to use as a weapon."

Bella huffed and pulled herself up as tall as her 5'6" body would allow. It still wasn't enough to stop Kyle's laughter. "I'll have you know it's a phobia from childhood! My god brother and his friends used to LOVE throwing the little devils in my hair just to watch me scream!" She told him with a shudder.

Kyle chuckled. He'd done the same thing to his little sister when they were kids. It must have been a right of passage from young boy to a not so young boy (as in a teenager who never grew up). "I'm only teasing you, Bella. Besides, I think Ziggy would be all too eager to defend you and make a snack out of the spiders around here." He said eying the snake with caution.

Bella shrugged. "He's harmless. You are right though. He'd eat that thing you just had in your hand for a snack in a heartbeat given half the chance."

"HEY! Sarah's NOT a thing! She's a beauty!" Kyle huffed indignantly, causing Bella to giggle.

Turn about was fair play!

"If you say so. Come on… let's go get lunch." She said holding the door open for him.

Kyle grinned. "Lunch sounds good about now!"

"Yeah, if we get to the diner now-" Her phone cut her off when it started ringing. "Um… you should go ahead. It's Edward."

"Why do you even put up with him? He's an ass Bella. And he works in the office… he doesn't know the first thing about any of the animals. They're just numbers and prices to him."

"He's sweet. Besides there's no written rule saying office staff and handlers can't date, is there?" She asked testily.

Kyle shook his head. "You know that is not what I meant. I meant, Bella, you deserve someone who can appreciate what you do." He said giving her a side armed hug as they left the 'hospital room' where the sick animals were housed.

Bella only shook her head and smiled. Kyle was sweet. The wedding band on his finger also told her he wasn't saying it to hit on her. He had always been honest with her- even if his judgment was misplaced. She waved him off and headed towards the locker room to grab her purse.

(~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~)

Paul sighed. Bella had been back to Forks for little over three months. In those three months, they'd fallen right back in as best friends and grown even closer. He'd gotten to know the working side of his best friend. He was honestly impressed. Sure he'd grown up with her. Sure he knew her better than she knew herself sometimes. Sure he secretly loved the fact that her snakes hated her boyfriend- he did too. What he acknowledged to himself now was that he had fallen in love with her- again.

There had always been a thin line that the two had never crossed. She'd been gorgeous as a teenager, but now as a full grown woman, she looked stunning. It was hard sometimes to remember that she was taken. He shook his head again and propped his boot clad foot up on his front porch railing. He'd only just gotten home from work a half an hour ago and now sat enjoying an ice cold beer after a hard days work.

He snorted. Yeah… hard… right. He loved his job. He, Jared and Sam had worked as mechanics in the same garage since they'd graduated high school. He was well known, well trusted and well sought after too. He shook his head again. The notoriety came at a price. He hated the stigma that he was just some dumb mechanic. He'd graduated from college the same as his friends. It was his choice to stay where he was. It was his choice to work on cars. It wasn't because he wasn't smart enough for it.

The sound of Bella's car pulling into her driveway next door caught his attention. It had shocked him to no end that she'd moved in right beside him. It shocked him even more that she had a house and not an apartment until he'd seen her snakes. He remembered the first time he ever saw No Feet.

Ah. How he loved that snake. Perverted as the little thing was… he knew better than to let Edward close to Bella.

"Hey Bella. How was- hey, are you alright?" Paul was up and off of his porch in seconds when he heard her sniffles.

She tried to wave him off with one hand as she wiped the angry tears from her face with the other. "I'm good. It was a rough day." She tried to tell him.

"Bella… it's me you're talking to now. You always were a horrible liar." He said taking her hand in his to pull her closer.

Her shoulders sagged as she melted into his body. He smelled like old spice after shave, grease, sweat and all things Paul. For a minute, she forgot that Edward had told her they were finished over the phone. He didn't even have the guts to face her. She sighed and wrapped her arms around him, not caring that her scrub top got dirty.

"He broke up with me in a voice mail." She finally whispered. "Can you believe that?! A fucking voice mail!" she wasn't crying because she was upset. She was livid.

Paul shook his head. "Come on… come have a beer with me."

"Let me feed No Feet first. He's due for a rat or two." She told him waving him in behind her.

He grinned. "He'll be happy." He didn't tell her he meant that snake would be happy Edward wouldn't be around anymore. She knew though.

"Ziggy too." She said pulling the snake from his cage. True to form, he slid his way down her shirt and curled loosely around her waist.

Paul shook his head. Lucky snake.

Bella came back with a bottle of Russian Standard vodka and two shot glasses. Paul licked his lips. He knew what vodka did to her. Maybe not after a couple shots, but he knew what happened after that. He also knew- even though she promised him it would only be a couple shots- they just might end up drinking the whole bottle.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, both of them sipping on their drinks. Paul had started to massage Bella's feet after she had stretched out to rest them in his lap. He smirked when she leaned back some, only to giggle when Ziggy protested. She stood and eased the snake back into his cage before sitting back down next to Paul on the couch.

"Do you ever regret not dating when we were younger?" She wondered.

Oh lord… did he want to tell her the truth? It was all he thought about some nights.

Might as well.

"Sometimes. I mean… you're my best friend. Sappy as it is to say, I didn't want to change that." He teased, grinning when she playfully smacked his arm. "I just… I didn't want to ruin that. We both had tempers. I still do."

Bella's head found its way to his shoulder, her fingers running up and down the smooth tan skin of his arm. "I get that. I guess… I just… you were one of the few guys I ever trusted completely. Still do if I'm being honest." She told him.

"Hey… you alright?" He asked tilting her chin up with his index finger. She had unshed tears in her eyes when she looked up at him. "What's wrong?"

She sighed and shook her head. "It might only be the vodka talking. I just feel… ugh… I don't know. I mean it's you! And you're still so damn hot! But I had a boyfriend, so I couldn't say anything!"

Paul fought the grin from forming on his lips. "I think it's more than the vodka Bells." He whispered.

He noticed the shiver that went down her spine and grinned. They'd done this dance before too. Jared and Sam had told them before there was too much sexual tension between them. Paul made up his mind to do something about it now though. She only just got dumped but he was determined to make her see what was in front of her- a best friend who knew her better than most. She wasn't drunk so it wouldn't be considered taking advantage of her. He'd never force her into anything.

"Paul…. Is it wrong that I want you to kiss me?" She barely whispered.

He swallowed and shook his head. "No… I definitely want to kiss you. Can I?"

Bella nodded her head. Three months of sexual tension were on her mind. Three months of seeing him half naked covered in grease smears and sweat as he worked on his car in his front driveway. Three months of sitting with him as her snakes rested completely at ease around his neck or held in his hands. Her breath hitched when she felt his hand slide up her thigh along the seam of her scrub pants.

His lips brushed over hers, feather light, before falling into their kiss. His hand slipped further up her thigh, grinning against her lips as she let a moan dance into the quiet of her living room. His fingers brushed against her cloth covered core, teasing her through the pants she wore.

"Paul…" She gasped when he pulled her into his lap. Her head titled backwards when he kissed his way down the column of her neck.

Paul ground his hips up into hers and smirked when she moaned. "Fuck…. Bella! You're so fucking sexy!"

She couldn't help but blush as she pressed her lips to his again. It should have scared her that she had her tongue down his throat. It should have bugged her that she moved herself against him like a whore. It should have bugged her that his large, warm, calloused hands now danced across the bare skin of her torso under the top of her scrub shirt.

All she could do was grind her hips down harder into his and whimper as his fingers teased her nipples through the lace of her bra. Her lips tore from his and a gasp ripped from her throat as she pushed her chest forward into his teasing caresses.

Paul was in seventh heaven. He had his best friend- and the woman he had fallen head over heels for- sitting in his lap with her lips attached to his as she rocked against him. His eyes rolled back into his head when he felt her kissing a teasing trail to his ear.

"I want you… is that wrong?" She whispered, flicking her tongue out to tease the shell of his ear.

It was his turn to shudder. "Not at all. I want you too."

"Come with me?" She asked standing as she held her hand out to him.

He stood and searched her eyes. They were still clear, if not somewhat hazy from the lust flowing through her body. Could he do this? Could he sleep with his best friend and walk away like nothing happened?

"I'm in for keeps, Bella. I can't … I'm not… I don't-"

"I know." She told him pressing a finger to his lips. "It's been on my mind a lot lately. I know what's going to happen. You're not a rebound. You're my best friend. Edward breaking up with me left me open to finally tell you what I want… and that's you. I think… I mean… it's always been you."

Paul grinned and pulled her to him. He kissed her soundly, picking her up in his arms causing her to squeal. He chuckled when her arms tightened around his shoulders. He re-adjusted her legs around his waist and walked them down the hallway to her room. He pinned her to the wall before they were halfway there. His lips found the sensitive spot on her neck and his teeth nipped at it.

"Paul… please… fuck! Please!" She whined and pulled her top off so his hands had more access to her chest and stomach. She couldn't hide the smirk when he saw the black lace bra she wore.

"My god you're so fucking sexy!" He purred.

She shook her head and pointed to her door before claiming his lips in a heated kiss again. He took her hint and made it the rest of the way to her bedroom without too many more delays. Both of their shirts, his boots and her bra littered the hallway floor, but they were too busy to take notice.

Paul dropped her onto the bed and crawled over her before she had time to react. He grinned at the small frown dancing into place on her lips. He teased her first. He knew she wanted to be fucked. And he promised to do just that. In time.

"Paul.." She whined when he started kissing down her body again. He took a minute to tease and toy with her nipples, moving on only when he was satisfied by her mewls and whimpers. He groaned when he pulled her pants down her legs leaving her in nothing more than a black lace thong.

"Damn Bella…" He kissed his way back up her body after pulling the thong off of her.

She groaned at the feel of his jean clad legs sliding against her bare skin. She shuddered when she felt his fingers dancing down to her dripping pussy. Her head tilted back exposing the porcelain skin to his eager mouth.

He sucked a bruise from the spot over her pulse and moaned when he felt her fingers grazing over his skin. He helped her pull his jeans from his waist and nearly hissed when his dick had been freed from the confines of the restricting fabric.

"I want you… please." It was whispered, but it had Paul's dick throbbing with the need to be sheathed inside of her.

"Condom?" He felt like a fool for not having any on hand. He hadn't anticipated this happening when he'd seen her pull into her driveway.

"I'm on the pill." She groaned when his hips thrust forward slightly, teasing her.

Paul grinned at her hushed answer and stilled above her. He rand the backs of his hands over her cheeks, gaining her attention to stare deep into her sinfully gorgeous brown eyes. "Are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely." She ran her hands up his back, one of them resting on the back of his neck while the other moved to his cheek. She smiled at him- one of the true smiles he knew she couldn't possibly force- to show him she meant it.

He slid himself within her walls with a quiet groan. He knew he wouldn't last too long. This was heaven. Her slick walls held him too tight. But it felt so good. He buried his head in the crook of her neck as his hips moved back and forth. The way she sounded- the pleasured gasps, the mewls, the quiet pleas- was music to his ears.

"You feel so fucking good wrapped around my dick." He whispered in her ear, shuddering when he felt her nails digging into the skin of his back.

She gasped, lust coursing through her body as he talked to her. Edward had never done that with her. He'd never spoken to her like that. It sounded so hot. His name left her lips in a gasp when he thrust just that little bit harder.

"You like that, don't you." He purred.

She was so close. "Please…"

"Come on Bella, let go." His hips never stopped the strong, fast thrusts into hers, bringing both of them closer to completion.

Bella's eyes shot wide open, her orgasm racing through her- liquid fire filling her nerves with utter and absolute bliss- as she clung to Paul using him as an anchor to keep her from floating away. She smiled when Paul fell against her, his harsh, panting breaths falling onto her sweaty skin. She frowned when he rolled off of her a mere minute later.

Nothing was said as he gathered her to him. She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that her best friend had just given her the best sex of her life. Was it all him or was it because he was her best friend? Did she even care?

"You're thinking too much." He mused.

She smiled. "Just wondering if we'll have another shot at that again." She told him..

Paul turned on his side and propped his head up with his hand. His other hand moved a stray piece of hair from her face. "Would you hold it against me if I said I want another shot?"

"Only if you hold it against me when I say I'm keeping you." She shot back.

Paul grinned. "Bella Swan, you're asking me out, aren't you?" He teased.

"You mad?"

He waited for a minute. "No… not at all." He told her with a grin. "The last few months… being your neighbor… seeing you with that ass… laughing every time I saw your snake snap at his face-" He laughed when she half heartedly slapped his arm.

"It just means… I fell in love with you. All over again." He finally told her.

She sighed. "I fell in love with you too, you know." She told him.

"So why'd you stay with the ass?"

She shrugged. "I thought I loved him more…No Feet couldn't stand him… neither could Ziggy… and that's saying something. Kyle doesn't like snakes and they tolerate him more than they EVER tolerated Edward." She mused.

Paul snorted. "You should have listened to the snakes then."

"Yeah… I know." She kissed him again and laid her head on his chest. Ten minutes of listening to his even breathing, his heartbeat and the silence of her apartment and she was fast asleep.

Paul only smiled. They still had things to work out before they told everyone they were a happy couple. But for the time being, things were good.

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**Author's Note:** The one shot above is the result of a conversation between my fic twin and I in which my ex was bashed and we both talked about the snakes we used to own as pets…. Yes No Feet and Ziggy are real.

I also want to thank my awesome twin, KatastrophicKat, for pre reading this and catching all the small and freaking annoying mistakes in the story. She calls it nitpicking, I call it awesome because I never would have caught them on my own!

Anyways… I would love to hear what you guys think lol.


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